Which Countries Can Visit China Visa-Free? The 30-Day List

The short version

There are several ways to visit China without a visa. Which one you can use depends on your nationality:

1. 30-day visa-free entry (unilateral policy): 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most of the EU. You can fly in and out of the same country. This is the simplest option.
2. Mutual visa-free agreements: about 30 countries, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the UAE and Qatar, have two-way agreements with China. Most allow 30 days.
3. 240-hour visa-free transit: 57 countries, including the United States. You can stay up to 10 days, but only if you fly on to a different country or region.
4. Hainan 30-day visa-free entry: 61 countries, including the United States, for trips to Hainan Province only.

If your country is on none of these lists, you need a Chinese visa before you travel.

This guide uses the lists published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and National Immigration Administration (NIA), checked on 29 September 2026. Border officers make the final decision on every entry.

The 50 countries on China’s 30-day visa-free list

Holders of ordinary passports from these countries can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days:

Not on the list: the United States, Mexico, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa and many others. Some of them can use one of the other routes below.

How long the policy lasts

The policy has already been extended and expanded several times. If your trip is in 2027 or later, check for a new MFA announcement before you book anything you cannot cancel.

The rules for 30-day visa-free entry

These points come from the MFA’s official FAQs:

• Allowed purposes: business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits and transit. Sports events, conferences, exhibitions and study tours or summer camps of up to 30 days are also covered.
• Not allowed: work, study, journalism and similar activities. These need the correct visa.
• Passport: a valid ordinary passport that covers your whole stay. Emergency passports, temporary travel documents and other travel documents do not qualify.
• How the 30 days are counted: from 00:00 on the day after you enter, for 30 calendar days.
• Where you can arrive from: any country or region. You do not have to fly from your home country.
• Where you can enter: any air, sea or land port open to foreigners.
• Multiple entries: allowed. There is currently no limit on the number of visa-free entries or total days, but each visit must match an allowed purpose.
• No pre-registration: you do not need to tell a Chinese embassy in advance.
• Children: the same rules apply to minors as to adults.
• Longer stays: if you plan to stay longer than 30 days, get a visa before you travel. After arrival, extensions are possible only for good reasons, through a stay permit from the local public security exit-entry office.

What to carry at the border

The MFA recommends carrying documents that match your purpose:

• A return or onward ticket
• Hotel bookings, or the address where you will stay
• An invitation letter for business, a conference or a family visit

Fill in China’s arrival card before you land, using the free official online service or a paper card at the port. See China arrival card: how to fill it in for the official channels and each step.

Countries with mutual visa-free agreements

These countries have two-way agreements with China that cover ordinary passports. According to the MFA’s list, published on 13 July 2026, they are:

The length of stay depends on the agreement. Most allow 30 days per entry. Some allow longer: Mauritius allows 60 days and San Marino up to three months. Several, including Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Samoa, also limit you to 90 days in any 180-day period. Belarus allows 30 days per entry and no more than 90 days a year.

Mutual agreements do not have the 31 December 2026 end date of the unilateral policy. They stay in force unless the two countries change them. Several of these countries are also on the 240-hour transit or Hainan lists, such as Singapore, the UAE, Qatar, Serbia, Malaysia and Thailand.

If your country is not on the 30-day list

US citizens and other 240-hour transit countries

Citizens of 57 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Indonesia and Vietnam, can stay up to 10 days without a visa if they are transiting to a third country or region. For example:

• New York → Shanghai → Tokyo
• Los Angeles → Beijing → Hong Kong

A round trip to the same country does not qualify. Details, ports and permitted areas are in our 240-hour visa-free transit guide.

Hainan: 30 days visa-free for 61 countries

Hainan, the tropical island province in the far south, has its own rule. Ordinary passport holders from 61 countries, including the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Mexico and the UAE, can visit Hainan Province only for up to 30 days. This covers tourism, business, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and sports events.

You must enter and leave through Hainan’s own ports, such as Haikou Meilan and Sanya Phoenix airports, and you must stay inside Hainan. It is a good option for a beach holiday. It does not let you visit Beijing or Shanghai.

Tour groups and cruises

Other visa-free options are only for organized groups:

• Hong Kong or Macao to Guangdong: foreign tour groups organized by a Hong Kong or Macao travel agency can visit ten Greater Bay Area cities, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, for up to 6 days.
• Hong Kong or Macao to Hainan: similar tour groups can visit Hainan for up to 6 days.
• Cruise ship groups: groups of two or more organized by a Chinese travel agency can visit coastal areas for up to 15 days, arriving at one of 13 cruise ports.
• ASEAN tour groups: groups from Southeast Asian countries can visit Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, or Guilin, for up to 6 days.

Everyone else: apply for a visa

If none of the above fits, apply for a tourist L visa through the Chinese embassy or consulate for your area. Applications start online through the MFA’s China Online Visa Application portal. Processing times vary by consulate, so apply well before your trip. See our China entry planning guide.

Quick answers by nationality

Mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the US is on the list. It is not. Many US travelers only find this out at check-in.
• Using the wrong passport. The policies cover ordinary passports only. Dual nationals should enter and leave on the same eligible passport. People who hold, or used to hold, Chinese nationality should check with a Chinese consulate first.
• Planning work or study. Even short paid work, teaching or a study program needs the correct visa.
• Miscounting the 30 days. Day 1 is the day after you arrive. Leave on or before day 30.
• Paying for “visa-free registration”. There is nothing to register in advance, and the arrival card is free. Websites that charge for either are not official.
• Forgetting accommodation registration. Hotels register you automatically. If you stay with friends or in a private rental, you or your host must register within 24 hours.

Need help planning a visa-free trip?

Thirty days is enough for Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai at a comfortable pace. Ten days on 240-hour transit needs tighter planning. Our free trip planning service can help you build a route that fits your entry option. Always check the current MFA and NIA rules before you book.